New Tivoli Estela Lodges Open Beside Portugal's Estela Golf Club

Tivoli Estela Golf & Lodges, a resort that opened in July 2025 about 30 minutes up the coast from Porto, Portugal, sits adjacent to the 25-year-old Estela Golf Club, a links course that runs along 3.5 kilometers of Atlantic coastline.

What is the Estela Golf Club course like?

Both nines run out and back along the coast, with an Atlantic breeze that keeps temperatures fairly constant from April through mid-October. The front nine opens with several holes that track tightly along the shoreline, including the par-4 third, which plays into the prevailing wind to an elevated green, and the par-3 fourth, which looks out over dunes and crashing waves. Golfers get their closest view of the course's landmark stone windmill, which forms the club's logo, while putting out on the sixth green, and the eighth hole requires a tee shot over water to another elevated green.

A links course old enough to have earned its reputation, paired with lodges that opened last year, is an unusual pairing on Portugal's Atlantic coast.

How does the course finish?

The back nine mirrors the front in style. The 17th is a par 3 played over water to a raised green, and the 18th asks for a tee shot through a narrow gap in the bushes to a wide fairway before an uphill approach to a green that sits directly in front of the clubhouse.

What is at Tivoli Estela Golf & Lodges?

The resort's 80 air-conditioned wooden lodges come in five sizes, each with a private decking area, a lounge space and a bathroom. Guests can reach the Estela clubhouse by golf buggy shuttle in about five minutes. On site, the resort has an indoor pool, sauna and steam room within a wellness center, a gym, a tunnel leading to a private beach, an outdoor pool with a bar, two padel courts, and a children's play area and kids' club. The resort's Green's restaurant serves Portuguese cuisine built around local, seasonal ingredients, with a focus on fish, seafood and regional wines.